Chapter 157: The Four Wealthy Businesswomen (11)

In ancient times, women were expected to focus on supporting their husbands and educating their children, leaving them with very few career options. All trades were firmly held in men's hands, and aside from embroidery and weaving, the most common paths for women were becoming maids or matrons in wealthy households, or working as matchmakers, midwives, or procuresses.

Unless she could open a brothel, Shi Xianyu could not think of any other way for Li Lingjing to strike back against Xie Lü.

Li Lingjing was only sixteen years old, and opening a brothel certainly required a trusted helper. The fact that Madam Yao had been able to train so many top courtesans showed she had exceptional abilities. It was just a pity she had fallen gravely ill at a young age. Hearing her cough incessantly, Shi Xianyu wondered if she was suffering from ancient tuberculosis.

Shi Xianyu was not a doctor and did not know how to treat illnesses. She only had some Tianyuan Pills on hand. These pills served to strengthen the body and soul, and to ward off aging and sickness, but Shi Xianyu had no idea whether they could cure tuberculosis.

Why not give it a try...

"Perhaps I can cure her," Shi Xianyu said, looking at the woman on the bed.

Li Lingjing was momentarily stunned, then looked up at her in astonishment. "Is what the Daoist master says true?"

Shi Xianyu frowned. "I am not certain... I can only try. Even if it cannot cure her, I suppose it should at least alleviate her current condition."

Li Lingjing was so excited she did not know what to say, her eyes filled with gratitude. Seeing this expression, Shi Xianyu could not help smiling. "Though you haven't seen each other in years, your bond hasn't faded at all."

Hearing this, the corners of Li Lingjing's mouth curved upward as she replied, "Madam Yao taught me many things. She is a woman deserving of being treated kindly. If the Daoist master knew her, you would certainly think so too."

Shi Xianyu looked at Madam Yao on the bed for a long moment, then drew a pill from her sleeve and gently placed it in Li Lingjing's hand.

"Grind this pill into powder, and add a tiny bit after Zhier finishes brewing the medicine," Shi Xianyu instructed after a moment's thought. "In the future... add a little bit every time she takes her medicine, without letting her know. If her condition improves, let her attribute it to her original medicines. The matter of this pill must not be leaked, lest it bring trouble."

Li Lingjing nodded immediately, replying solemnly, "Daoist master, I understand."

Unlike the fragrant sweat pills Shi Xianyu had fabricated, the Tianyuan Pill was genuinely real. If word got out, or if the neighbors discovered that Madam Yao—who should have been on the verge of death—suddenly became radiant overnight, there would surely be endless gossip. Shi Xianyu certainly did not want to end up like Shen Xiao, dragged off by yamen runners to the imperial palace to refine pills for some emperor or empress dowager.

Li Lingjing clutched the pill, pondered for a moment, and said, "I can rent a residence outside the city and hire two matrons to take care of Madam Yao. I'll just say the feng shui there is good and suitable for recuperating from an illness, and buy some nourishing tonics for her. Madam Yao won't suspect a thing."

The more Li Lingjing thought about it, the happier she became, and she couldn't help clapping her hands. "With the Daoist master and Madam Yao helping me, my brothel will surely thrive and become famous throughout the capital of Shengjing!"

Shi Xianyu smiled. "Very well, then I shall await the good news."

Li Lingjing was a woman of action. She left Zhier behind to look after Madam Yao, and then rushed off with great energy to find a property broker, intending to rent a courtyard outside the city with her own money.

For several days, she inspected courtyards, and then she began bustling about negotiating with the madam of the brothel regarding the deed of indenture of the courtesans in the house, as well as settling the errand boys, kitchen chefs, and other staff members of the brothel.

Shi Xianyu did not concern herself with these trivial matters. She simply stayed peacefully in the back mountains of the temple, watching Li Lingjing step by step draw closer to her goal.

A few days later, Li Lingjing returned in high spirits, announcing that Madam Yao had finally agreed to move into the small courtyard she had purchased, and that her health had improved dramatically.

A few days after that, Li Lingjing returned fuming with indignation, reporting that the madam had indeed sold off the courtesans early, leaving the brothel essentially an empty shell.

And a few days after that, she was beaming again, returning to share with Shi Xianyu the ideas Madam Yao had conceived for running the brothel. She was completely incapable of hiding her thoughts, and whatever mood she was in was written entirely across her face.

"As the saying goes: a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a stolen encounter, and a stolen encounter is not as good as what you cannot get. Madam Yao says the flesh trade is always the lowest tier. Even if you elevate a top courtesan, to the guests it is merely changing to a new flavor, which never lasts long. Therefore, our brothel will not engage in the flesh trade. Moreover, we will make people lose sleep at night, yearn for it day and night, and feel utterly restless if they don't come patronize us for a single day."

Li Lingjing curled the corners of her mouth, her face full of yearning as she spoke of the business.

"I used to hear Madam Yao say she wanted to open a brothel like this, but she never had the opportunity to realize it. Now, with me providing the capital and her providing the expertise, this might actually succeed!"

Shi Xianyu asked in bewilderment, "If you don't engage in the flesh trade, what will your brothel do? Only serve meals?"

How would that be any different from an ordinary tavern?

Li Lingjing ticked items off on her fingers one by one. "Opera singers, ballad singers, zither players and dancers, calligraphy and painting, drinking wine, dining, and chatting. As long as there is no sleeping together, there are so many things that can be done."

Shi Xianyu thought to herself, isn't this an ancient prototype of a modern high-end club? Madam Yao's mindset was quite progressive.

"Oh, right." Li Lingjing set down the booklet she had been holding against her chest and opened it for Shi Xianyu to see. "These are the maidens introduced by the procuress over the past few days. Some are women transferred from other brothels in the city, and some are daughters from impoverished families who couldn't afford to raise them. Madam Yao told us to pick first."

"How should we choose?" Shi Xianyu looked at the booklet with her, quite curious. "Are there any criteria?"

"Hmm... Madam Yao didn't specify, she just said to pick first, and then she would select the candidates from our choices. But I suppose there must be certain special talents, right?" Li Lingjing said thoughtfully. "Our brothel is so unique, ordinary women probably wouldn't be able to adapt, would they?"

Shi Xianyu tilted her head to look at the booklet, which was quite rich with both illustrations and text. Each person had one page of a portrait and one page of written introduction, but this artistic style... did everyone's facial features look more or less the same?

"I can understand those who excel at singing or painting, but this one who 'excels at playing with pearls'... what does that mean?" Shi Xianyu asked with a deep sense of puzzlement.

Li Lingjing's face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head to say, "The Daoist master is a transcendent personage of the otherworldly realm, so it is normal that you do not know the meaning of playing with pearls..."

"You know?" Shi Xianyu blinked, looking at Li Lingjing. "What does it mean?"

"It's... that pearl," Li Lingjing stammered in reply. "Round... there are two of them... hanging below..."

Shi Xianyu was completely baffled. "What?"

Finding it unspeakable, Li Lingjing raised her head to glance at her, then quickly lowered her gaze again and said, "In order to please their guests, brothel women usually practice two special skills painstakingly: playing the flute and playing with pearls."

Shi Xianyu was stunned for a moment before gradually coming to understand. "Oh... so that's what you mean."

Li Lingjing hurriedly turned the page, her face flushed red as she said, "Daoist master, let's look at the remaining candidates."

Flipping further ahead, new terms popped up. With a strong desire for knowledge, Shi Xianyu consulted: "This 'dragon drawing water' is..."

Li Lingjing: "............"

............

In the courtyard, a middle-aged man dressed as a domestic servant was briskly tidying up the room, while a man in a green robe sat beneath the eaves.

The servant went in and out several times carrying luggage. Along the way, he cast a displeased glance toward the courtyard wall and muttered softly, "I wonder what kind of people live next door. In a sacred Buddhist sanctuary, they actually dare to discuss such filthy matters. Simply preposterous."

He said to the man in the green robe, "Young master, perhaps we should change courtyards?"

Yet the man in the green robe had been listening intently and asked the servant, "What is the meaning of 'dragon drawing water'?"

The servant: "............"